Coach also defends having Wright pass instead of shoot on final play

It was about tangible disappointment that still was present when the team reconvened at AmericanAirlines Arena 14 hours after Tuesday's 91-88 loss to the Timberwolves.

Instead of focusing on specifics of what went wrong against lowly Minnesota, Spoelstra addressed the season as a whole.

"It's going to take a whole lot more than we gave yesterday," he said in brusque, forceful words just outside the Heat locker room, after a video session and team meeting that went more than two hours. "But it's also going to take a lot more than we've given this year, in terms of our consistency.

"We've been able to turn it on, then we relax, and that's been a pattern that has to stop right now. And it will."

The pattern for Spoelstra after disappointing losses this season has been to move forward, let go of the frustration, build toward what is ahead.

But Wednesday it was clear he was not letting go of this latest lethargic letdown, even if it was the team's third consecutive game played in the injury absences of starting guards Dwyane Wade and Rafer Alston.

"If it's going to take me to force a change," he said, "I'm going to do it. The inconsistency is, at this point, unacceptable."

Spoelstra said he was not talking about a lineup change, although it appears Alston will start at point guard Saturday against the visiting Bucks, with his bruised right hand sufficiently healed. Wade's status with his strained left calf is less certain, although he did shoot on the side Wednesday, as well as participate in strength and agility work.

While Spoelstra said "the majority of our possessions were not committed enough and some of them were outright disgraceful," it still came down to the Heat inbounding with 1.1 seconds to play from the frontcourt sideline, down by the final score.

On that possession, forward Dorell Wright, who scored a career-high 26 points, shooting 6 of 7 on 3-pointers, was the inbound passer instead of being on the court for a potential tying attempt. The game ended with guard Daequan Cook, who closed 4 of 13 from the field and 0 for 5 on 3-pointers, missing a forced 29-foot attempt with two-tenths of a second to play.

Spoelstra said the decision to utilize Wright as the passer was made because of Wright's 6-foot-9 height, as well as the fact that forward Quentin Richardson was unavailable after being injured while going for a rebound. Spoelstra said he also considered having 6-1 point guard Mario Chalmers make the pass.

"That's a tough one," Spoelstra said, "because normally Quentin or Dorell is the inbounder. They're usually our best trigger passers. Quentin was out with his leg and I originally had Dorell in there, and then I was going to have Mario take the ball out.

"But I didn't want them to swallow it up with size. Daequan has probably the best ability of that group to get it off under duress and Dorell can get it to him no matter who's on the ball."

Asked why 3-point specialist James Jones, who has shown a knack for drawing three-shot fouls in such situations, wasn't on the court, Spoelstra said he was comfortable with the final grouping that included Wright, Chalmers, Cook and forwards Michael Beasley and Udonis Haslem.

"Originally, I had him in," Spoelstra said of Jones. "But Udonis is our best screener in those situations and Michael, also, can get his shot off. So I had the two of those guys in. If Michael had to pop for a three, he could get it off, over the top. He can jump over somebody."

As it turned out, Chalmers broke free for an open look in the corner, bypassed by Wright.